Egypt’s Election: ’’Israel’’ Backs Suleiman, Brotherhood Warns of Second Revolution

The intelligence chief of Egypt’s former toppled President Hosni Mubarak formally joined the race for the presidency on Sunday, a last-minute entrance that raises the heat in a contest pitting former regime figures against Islamists.

Omar Suleiman, 74, announced he planned to run on Friday, saying overwhelming public pressure had aroused his sense of soldierly duty. He had needed to collect the signatures of 30,000 eligible voters by Sunday’s deadline in order to take part.

Meanwhile, “Israeli” Member of Knesset Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, who is known with close ties to the ousted Egyptian regime, said that Suleiman would be the best president for Egypt in terms of “Israeli” interests.
“A “Muslim Brotherhood” leader would threaten “Israel’s” 1979 peace deal with Egypt,” Ben-Eliezer told “Israeli” Army Radio sating that “former strongman Suleiman views relations with “Israel” as a strategic cornerstone.”

In parallel, the movement’s candidate, Khairat al-Shater, described Suleiman’s move as an “insult to the Egyptian people.”
“Suleiman has made a big mistake. He will only win through forgery and, if this happens, the revolution will kick off again,” al-Shater stressed.

Moreover, the “Muslim Brotherhood” has registered a second candidate, Mohamed Mursi, who heads the movement’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP).
The presidential election, due to start on 23 May, will be the first since Mubarak’s overthrow in February 2011.

Twenty-three candidates have submitted bids to enter the race.
A provisional list of candidates will be published Monday, but analysts say the race looks set to be dominated by Islamists and officials who previously served in government.